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Tips for taking "Deli Night" to the next level

Deli Nights
Sometimes I'm just not feeling it.  Let's face it - it's hard to cook.  Every.  Single.  Night.  Sometimes, I'm just too tired or have other things that I need to accomplish (like writing a blog post!).  Nights like these are made for what we call "Deli Night" in our family.  Granted, cold cuts aren't the best option, nutritionally speaking, but they're better than some of the alternatives we could be having.

Sounds simple enough, right?  Well, not so fast.  If I were to simply pull out packages of lunch meat and say "have at it", I think my kids would loose their calcium and fall straight to the floor writhing in agony.  So I take about 15 minutes and dress it up a bit.  I make it seem fancier than it really is and try to trick their eyes into believing that it's a treat as opposed to me slacking, which is far closer to the truth.  The presentation makes it seem like it's something better than simply sandwiches.  Click below to read more.

One of the first things I consider is that everyone (or is it just my squad?) likes "build it yourself food bars".  So I roll different varieties of lunch meat out and place them on a platter or pedestal.  I take anything and everything that one might be inclined to add to a sandwich and plate it fancifully - and separately close to the lunch meat platter.  A basket with some rolls, mayo and olive oil and we're nearly there.

Just a few more steps to truly take it to the next level.  I take a bag of homestyle potato chips and spread them onto a large baking sheet.  A mixture of black pepper, Locatelli cheese, and cayenne pepper is lightly sprinkled onto the surface of the chips and I heat them in a 400F oven for about 6 minutes or until they get good and hot.  Served hot from the oven with my creamy barbecue chip dip and another pedestal with some sliced pound cake for dessert and we've pulled it off again!  

It's a win-win-win:  the kids are happy because it's kind of a fun dinner.  I'm happy because I have a night off from cooking, and my wonderful husband is happy because I didn't leave four hundred and thirty-two pots and pans waiting in the sink for him to clean up after dinner!

So tell me...what are your favorite super easy meals to cook when you don't really feel like cooking?

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